alacarte

This was awesome, V. Great pictures. I especially like the one of the skeptical child eyeing the popover. And you are SO right about that lobster ice cream.

The latest dispatch from the BEET is here: Part #10: Warming Up to New Year's At The Beet Enjoy this guilty pleasure while you can...only one more installment left in the series after this!

Good to know that some of your creations already have been well-received. Which dishes have outright bombed so far? Is there anything that even adventurous diners won't try at PF&W? And how long do you keep a dish on the menu before you decide to cut your losses and rotate on something new? Obviously your menu changes frequently as different seasonal produce comes in/out, but I'm also wondering about the ones that "flop" for no apparent reason.

you go, girl! I think more than a few people on this board will relate to your story....

I have never seen the market awash in so many beautiful cherries as I did at Saturday's Union Square greenmarket. I bought: cherries peaches (disappointing this time) apricots (outstanding) bi-color corn one perfect red tomato shelling peas radishes Kirby cucumbers Kalamata olive bread an aged goat cheese from Coach farms -- more a firmer brie consistency than a typical chevre. This was an expensive impulse buy at $15, but it was really good! We made a good dent in the fruit over the weekend, and feasted on radish-and-goat-cheese sandwiches within minutes of coming home from the greenmarket. Tonight I'm planning a salad of corn, black beans, and tomatoes to serve with broiled fish.

I had assumed that JUdson closed mostly for economic reasons. It occupied what had to be one pricey piece of prime midtown real estate. It had to be hard to justify the cost if the restaurant wasn't packed every night. To be honest, one of the reasons I liked JUdson was because it was relatively uncrowded most of the time. The lately skyrocketing prices of beef couldn't have helped either.

Although your bio covers your many impressive accomplishments, it doesn't explain how you came to be an expert in the world of cheese? Why fromage? Why not butter, or charcuterie, or wine? Did you train to become an expert in cheese, or were you involved in food in a more general sense and specialized later in your career? Thank you!

5 categories for the supermarket checkout line? I shudder to think how the lines for auto tolls are organized!

The one who was still standing upright and breathing? I frequently wonder about the "failed experiments" through history too!

Pan, it sounds like you need to upgrade the restaurants you frequent. If I see a roach, I am OUTTA THERE, and I'm not coming back. I don't care if it's on the wall, the seat, the plate, I am leaving NOW. And I'm not even stopping to pay my bill, although as a courtesy I will tell the manager why I am leaving in such a hurry. But I'm walking as I'm talking. I agree also that I don't want to "accidentally" take one home in my purse, pants cuff, etc. I don't want them near me, period, and I sure don't want them in my food. And the presence of "small" roaches vs. big ones doesn't reassure me -- that just means that the roaches have hatched more recently, and ergo there are certain to be more nearby. EEEUUWWWWWW. A word to restaurants: Exterminators. Use them.

My personal food history favorite is Richard J. Hooker's A History Food and Drink in America . It's out of print now, but the NY Public Library has a copy I use for reference sometimes.

I've had the same busy-signal experience. Maybe we are calling at the same time and cancelling each other out!

I'm drooling over these desserts. And I'm so relieved that there's chocolate on the menu! I always wondered what people did with gooseberries. I'm pretty sure we have a thread or two going on that, but it's interesting to see how a professional pastry chef works with gooseberries. Very cool -- which farm? Sarma, did you grow up on a farm? (feel free to ignore if I'm getting too personal I'm just wondering if this is something that shaped your love of food.) Edit: I found the Ultimate Gooseberry Thread.

Can anyone (Sarma, Lauren, anyone else who's been to PF&W) tell us more about the desserts? The reviews seem to focus on the apps & entrees, and exclude THE BEST PART -- dessert!

Ito-En distributes an iced barley tea called Green Genmai.

Ah, thank you Poppy Cannon.

If anyone wants to test-drive the B&B lifestyle, I just read the following snippet in BusinessWeek magazine.

Are menu ingredients sourced from/inspired by the nearby Union Sq. greenmarket?

speaking of frozen summer treats, there's also an ice-cream sandwich stand now set up outside Olives, at the corner of 17th & Park Ave. One could indulge at the Shake Shack and then waddle over to Olives for "dessert." Anyone know the hours for the Shake Shack? Is it open in the evenings?

In that case, you should enjoy the latest installment of the series: A Tale of Two Bartenders

Word. Chipwiches rock. warning: going off-topic: My father-in-law has a weakness for sweets. He's a big, affable guy who treats my mother-in-law like a queen. We always joke that we don't worry that he might have a little "chippie" (floozy) on the side...however, he might have a Chipwich on the side. off-topic ramble concluded.

was it a tribute to the Beatles' "I am the Walrus"?

There's a chain of Turkish "gourmet takeout" restaurants in Manhattan called Zeytuna or Zeytina (they are related despite the difference in name, I asked). Though mostly they are clustered around lower Manhattan, there's one on 41st street as well, next to the NY Public Library. They have passable baklava and sometimes even Turkish coffee.

PM stands for Private Messaging -- you'll see the PM button at the bottom of each post. Gerhard, the pictures are wonderful and here's wishing you the best of success with the B&B. I love B&B cookbooks. Whenever I go on vacation somewhere I scan the bookstores for compilations from local B&B and inn proprietors. In between the usual egg casserole and blueberry muffin recipes, there are always a few gems showcasing local ingredients and flavors.

Great visual! I say come back and post as often as you want, Sarma. Personally, I'd love to read a semi-blog about the excitement and challenges of opening a new restaurant, particularly one as unusual as yours. I'm loving reading about the wine selection and printing a new menu every day. More please! how did you come to open a "raw foods" restaurant, anyway?